African elephant

American  

[af-ri-kuhn el-uh-fuhnt] / ˈæf rɪ kən ˈɛl ə fənt /

noun

1. an elephant of the genus Loxodonta, with two extant species, the larger African bush elephant and the African forest elephant, both found in sub-Saharan Africa and previously considered subspecies rather than genetically distinct: Compared to an Asian elephant, an African elephant is larger and has enormous ears, a rounder head, a trunk ending in two fingers rather than one, and conspicuous tusks occurring in both sexes.

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Etymology

Origin of African elephant

First recorded in 1600–20

Compare meaning

How does african-elephant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• African elephant vs. Asian elephant

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

African elephant

A rodent-borne virus led to the death of the only African elephant at the zoo in India's capital Delhi, officials have told the BBC.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2025

Charley, an aging African elephant, had outlived other elephants at a South Africa zoo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024

Yet as elderly elephants struggle with the wetter and warmer conditions in the GVL caused by climate change, their fall will impact the entire African elephant population, and with it the ecosystem of the GVL.

From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2024

Based on fossilized poop and gnawed bones, researchers know adults used their bone-crushing teeth to eat large plant-eating dinos the size of an African elephant, such as Triceratops and duck-billed dinosaurs.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 7, 2023

At that time an African elephant was a great novelty, both in Europe and in America.

From McClure's Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 1 by Various